Iolite
by Fictionfairy189
Summary: Steven and the gems are off on another mission, but this time they will journey into the mysterious, deserted realm of Midnight Blue. There, they seek the gemstone Iolite, however each of them fall victim to the whispers of the realm and are forced to face their inner-self and hard truths while trying to find one another.
1. Chapter 1

**Steven Universe **

**Iolite**

* * *

It was another sunny day in beach city and the gems were ready to head off on another mission. They were going to another realm to retreat the Iolite gemstone. As always Steven was excited and was determined to get it.

"I call this one guys!" Steven exclaimed, racing to the warp pad. "I can take care of this!"

"Are you sure about that Steven?" Garnet said, stepping beside him.

"You don't know anything about this realm let alone where to find what we're looking for," Pearl commented.

"And we do?" Amethyst questioned.

Pearl narrowed her eyes at the purple gem beside her and sighed.

Steven looked over at Pearl curiously.

"Do you? Have you guys ever been to this realm before?"

Pearl frowned. "It's been a very long time, Steven."

"What kept you away for so long? Does it have giant volcanoes that go off every five minutes? Or-or giant spiders?"

"No it doesn't," Garnet stated firmly.

"Listen Steven, this place is... well, dangerous." Pearl frowned.

Amethyst snickered. "You always say that."

Pearl rolled her eyes and proceed to explain the mysterious realm they were about to warp to.

"There's no telling where we might end up while we're there, but try to stay focused on the mission okay?"

Steven nodded as Pearl gave him a heart warming smile. Steven wasn't sure about she meant not knowing where him and the gems "might end up", but he wasn't discouraged nonetheless. He retrieved gems before no matter the circumstances. He was prepared for any challenge that stood between him and the Iolite.

The four gems warped to their destination in a matter of seconds. They ended up in the realm of Midnight Blue, a grassland under the constant midnight sky. It was warm as the air carried the gentle whispers of will-o'-the-wisps in the area. Steven gazed at the various floating creatures, amazed by their glowing light. Amethyst hopped off the warp pad and tried to catch one, but it disappeared in her grasp.

"Dang it! They always get away," Amethyst said, stomping the grass beneath her.

Pearl stepped off the pad, shaking her head in detest. "Don't get distracted, we didn't come here to fiddle around. We have to stay focus and-,"

"Hey, I'm gonna get you," Steven said, chasing after the pink will-o'-the-wisp. He had his hands ready to catch the glowing flame. He leaped for it, but it vanished out of sight. "All, come back."

Just as Steven was rising from his fall, another pink flame appeared and then another. A trail of pink will-o'-the-wisps had formed, leading into a beautiful garden. Steven followed the path, entering into a surreal state.

"Steven, where are you going?" Pearl stretched her hand out, following the boy.

"Steven, come back here," Garnet demanded. She attempted to go after him, but fell under the spell of the whispers. They wrapped around her head, taking over her senses. She turned the other direction and walked off into a narrow, dark cave. Fiery red will-o'-the-wisps lite the dark space as Garnet's figure fade into blackness.

Pearl was still pursuing Steven, but when she tried to touch his shoulder his body shattered like glass. She gasped in horror, pulling her hands into her chest.

"Oh no!" She shrieked, collecting the pieces of sharp material. "No, no, no, no, no! This can't be!"

A tear ran down the devastated gem. _This isn't happening. It's all just in your head, you know that. Just collect yourself and focus._ She glanced up when she heard the whispers. In an instant, she was up on her feet, wielding a sword. She tapered her eyes, analyzing the area around her. She was still in the grassland, but something seemed odd. She looked down at the piece of glass and caught a reflection of herself before a white glow took its place. The ground began to shake as giant mirrors shot up and towered over Pearl. The mirrors had the gem isolated, displaying a reflection of her at every angle.

Pearl sighed and uttered, "why couldn't things just go as planned."

It was like a trance had come over Steven. The delicate whispers of the glowing creatures held his attention. A light breeze had swept past him when he reached the garden. Steven blinked his eyes when he realized he wasn't where he was before. He turned around and saw no grassland. He looked up at the sky and only saw the heavenly hues of sunset.

"Huh, where is everybody? W-what happened?" Steven was starting to panic. He raced towards the garden archway, but prickly vines covered the entrance. Roses grew from the vines, forming into a mirrored image of Steven. "Cool, it's me. I'm a rose bush!"

"Hello Steven, I've missed you." The bush spoke softly.

"Missed me? But you're me. How can I miss myself, unless... Oh my gosh, I've been somebody else all along!"

The bush giggled. "No, you've been exactly who you are since you were born; a crystal gem."

The rose bush formed into the Rose Quartz. Steven eyes widen with his pupils taken the shape of stars. A tiny smile broke through his whimsical expression.

"Mom!"

* * *

**A/N: Ha, the cliffhangers gotta love'em! Hope you like this story so far. I just fell under the spell of gemstones recently and felt inspired by one of them and wrote this. Let me know what you think and thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Iolite**

**Chapter 2**

* * *

Garnet followed the whispers down the rocky path. The soft voices echoed, encouraging the gem to walk further. When the whispers stopped, Garnet snapped out the strange hypnosis she was under. She shook her head and closed her eyes tightly. When she opened them, a bright, red floating flame revealed itself. She approached it slowly, taking caution. The flame duplicated and there were two. They hovered deep into the darkness. Garnet tracked them down and ended up in the heart of the cave. There were many red flames that circled around the walls. They were like torches. Garnet stood on top of a stone seal with the carving of a blazing fire on it.

"What is this place? I have to get out of here," She said, analyzing the arena-like space. She noticed that the way she entered was blocked by a stone wall. She ran up to it and began smashing her red, iron fists against it in an effort to break it down. Not a single crack was made, but Garnet didn't let up. She continued on even though it was causing a great disturbance to the enormous beast hidden in the cave walls.

"The beast was infuriated when it was awoken. It barged its way into the arena, knocking aside boulders and giant rocks alike.

Garnet turned her attention to the monstrous brute. It roared violently, pushing back Garnet into the stone wall behind her. The four-footed terror stomped its feet, calling for giant rocks to fall from up above. Garnet dodged several of the descending boulders. She even smashed through one, demolishing the slab into a thousand pebbles.

She caught one of the boulders and hurled it at the vicious red beast. She grinned as the beast stomped back from the hit. "Come on big guy, let's go."

Meanwhile, back in the grassland, Amethyst was completely oblivious to the absence of the other gems. She was busy trying to catch the will-o-the-wisp.

"Ha, I got you! Nothing can get away from..." She trailed off as she saw fog appearing around her. "What the?"

The fog became dense, making it hard to see anything. She looked up and the sky was hardly visible. The whispers showed up again and blew through Amethyst's pale lilac hair.

"Huh, who's there? Just because I can't see you doesn't mean it won't stop me from getting you!" Amethyst summoned her whip, ready to attack. The whispers fell silent and for a moment it was eerily quiet. "Okay, now this is creepy."

Amethyst moved through the fog, aimlessly wandering. She tried to remember what happened when she got here and why she was in this realm to begin with. Soon, her memory of Steven, Garnet, and Pearl were vanishing. The whispers were circling around the drifting gem. They were sweeping her off from the ground, removing the whip from her hand. A cloud formed from the fog and cradled Amethyst. She yawned and laid down on the plush puff as it carried her up into the air, ascending into the sky.

"Ugh, stay down!" Garnet shouted, punching the restless beast for the hundredth time. No matter how hard her hits or kicks were, the beast would not fall without getting back up again. She landed onto the ground and jumped back up into the air to strike again. The beast lashed his tail at the gem and sent her flying across the arena. She landed deep into the rock solid wall. She was hurting and overwhelmed with fatigue. She didn't know how much more fight she had left in her.

She's fallen to the beast countless times, but always got back up despite the pain that shot through her aching body. This time, however, she crashed onto the ground and didn't budge. The beast stood over her, raising his arm so he could crush the small gem and end her once in for all.

Before the beast's paw could crush her body, Garnet held up a defense by putting up her fists. They transformed into larger versions of themselves. She rose slowly, but steadily to her feet and fought back the beast. She pushed it away from her and swung once more at it. Breathing heavily, Garnet went for the final blow. She charged towards the staggered beast with a battle cry that vibrated throughout the cave. She landed a fierce hit on its head, knocking out the beast.

She watched as it collapsed onto the floor. The arena shook and began rising out of the cave setting. Garnet saw a hint of light coming from the top. _Great a way out._

The stone arena made it to the top with Garnet and the beast on the seal. They were up very high with only a thick fog and beams of sunlight to be seen. Garnet saw a floating cloud with a familiar figure lying on it.

"Amethyst," Garnet called out. "Amethyst, are you alright? I'm coming for you."

Garnet was about to leap off the platform, but the giant beast had got a hold of her. She tried breaking free from its clutches, but her body gave in. She was tired and couldn't fight anymore. She buried her head into the beast's paw, panting harshly. The beast held the defeated gem to his face and squeezed her mercilessly. She cried out in agony, feeling her iron fists crumble at her sides.

_This is it, I've lost. I have been defeated._

"I-I surrender," She whispered feebly, shedding a tear underneath her glasses.

**Thanks for reading. Chapter 3 will be here soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

Iolite

Chapter 3

* * *

Amethyst woke up to a spread of white, rolling clouds. The sky was painted lilac and orange as the sun was permanently stuck in the west. She rose from the cloud she rested on and moved about the vast, yet empty space. She roamed around for a while, trying to figure out how she got there. She recalled being in a grassy field, chasing those little glowing buggers. There was no memory of what followed afterwards.

Annoyed by the infinite acres of clouds, Amethyst grunted as she stomped her foot. She sunk down into the cloud a bit. She yanked her leg out and took notice of the small hole made. She looked into it and saw a dark ravine.

"Woah okay, not falling into that. Guess I better find a spot with an ocean underneath," she said, casually strolling away.

"And what makes you so sure you'll be lucky enough?"

Amethyst looked back and saw a strange cloud figure shaped as herself. "What the-"

The cloud Amethyst pulled out a wipe made of cloud and grabbed a hold of Amethyst. The doppelganger reeled the crystal gem in as she struggled to break free. For a weapon made of cloud, it was surprisingly strong.

"There's no other landing. The only place you'll end up is in a ditch!"

Cloud Amethyst swung Amethyst into the air and sent her flying across the sky. Amethyst plummetted down, crashing through the white cotton clouds, falling to her doom. She cried out for help, despite knowing no good would come from it. Nobody would hear anyway. She closed her eyes and braced herself, hoping something- anything to happen instead of what was to come next.

In that moment, Amethyst opened her eyes to find she was saved somehow. Her form wasn't destroyed nor was her gem.

"Ha, I'm not dead!" Amethyst cheered. "Wait, am I at- no way."

Amethyst's bliss suddenly faded when a grim feeling began to engulf her.

_These walls, this hole, its... _She silenced her thoughts when she heard footsteps from outside.

_Out of all the places in the universe!_

"The holes all appear to be empty, Rose. There are no signs of other gems here," Pearl informed her leader.

"Not a trace," Garnet added.

Rose sighed in relief. "Good, now we can finally but this place to rest."

The sound of Rose's melodic voice drew Amethyst out the hole. She peeked a look at Rose Quartz, gaping at the tall, curly haired gem. _It's really her! And the others! _

Amethyst looked away and turned around for a second look. She could hardly believe what she was seeing. It felt as if she brought back in time, but why?

Out of the corner of her eye, Rose spotted a small, purple figure peeking outside one of the supposedly empty holes. She turned around and slowly approached the alerted gem. Amethyst retreated into the hole, crawling towards the very back. The timidness she felt when this moment first occurred took a hold of her. She wanted to keep out of sight and remained tucked away from the outside.

Pearl and Garnet took notice of the hole Rose was interested in. They gathered around their leader, curious about what she might have discovered.

"I believe we've overlooked one," Rose said. "Keep quiet, we don't want to frighten it further."

"You've found a gem? How could that be? We've excavated this site thoroughly. How could we have missed this?" Pearl replied.

Rose grinned, placing a gentle hand on Pearl's shoulder.

"We all make mistakes, Pearl."


End file.
